The second week of psychological evaluation.
Ashley sat in Amber’s study at her home.
“With your help, I feel like my mental state has improved a lot,” she said in a soft, delicate voice. Her small hands obediently folded on her lap, her head slightly lowered, with gentle strands of hair draping from her forehead, framing her soft, pale little face.
“Mm…”
Amber propped her cheek on her hand, taking the opportunity during this official business to scrutinize Ashley.
It certainly seemed that way. That air of cynicism had toned down considerably. From her perspective, Ashley even gave off a sense of gentle tranquility.
“This is a limited-edition museum souvenir. It’s pretty rare, so I’m giving it to you… I always feel bad taking fruit from you without giving anything back.”
This gesture caught Amber off guard, and she hurriedly reached out to take the cookie person keychain from the little loli’s hand—though in reality, this thing didn’t sell at all at the museum and had piled up in stock.
“It’s only been a week, and you’ve changed so much…” Amber suddenly thought that perhaps Ashley wasn’t bad at heart—who could a little loli have bad intentions anyway?
“After leaving my family… I’ve been so lost… I don’t know which way to go in the future… I know… my personality is pretty bad… But if someone could tolerate me… If someone… could hold my hand… and lead me to a brighter place… I wouldn’t feel lost anymore… I’d follow her forever… always… trailing behind her… like a little tail…”
Ashley’s eyes reddened, her words laced with tiny gasps for breath. She twisted her fingers repeatedly, and when she pursed her lips to hold back tears, cute dimples appeared on her cheeks.
Nothing was more devastating than a stunningly beautiful loli on the verge of tears. Amber felt a soft spot in her heart get struck hard, her vision blurring with stars as she nearly fainted.
“I’ll help you! With everything I’ve got!”
Amber’s head heated up, and in a surge of passion, she rushed over to grasp Ashley’s hand.
The blue-haired loli’s fingers were slender and soft, like flower petals, quietly resting in the black-haired loli’s palm.
Aaaah… This is too perfect…
Amber held her breath in tension, as if afraid to startle a breathtakingly beautiful butterfly into flight.
“Why are you touching my hand?”
Ashley pulled her hand back and eyed the black-haired loli suspiciously.
She was a bit annoyed that her performance had worked too well, to the point where the atmosphere had turned awkward.
Lately, she’d started realizing just how devastatingly powerful her appearance was—effective on men, women, young, and old alike, drawing them in like moths to a flame. Playing with fire wasn’t something to overdo.
Amber froze awkwardly, suddenly aware of her impropriety, and floundered helplessly.
“Want to go see a movie together?”
Ashley timely pulled out two movie tickets, breaking the awkwardness in the process.
Movies in this era were still in black and white, with almost no moving shots—just static images—but they already counted as cutting-edge technology.
Amber’s mouth fell open in a gasp, first thrilled, then hesitant. Juvenile offenders under supervision weren’t allowed to wander around freely.
“This is necessary psychological counseling. We’re going to watch an educational movie that can change a juvenile offender’s life.” Ashley had already prepared the excuse for her.
“Yeah, yeah! That’s it!”
–
The two walked down the street, with Ashley sneaking glances at the black-haired loli beside her now and then. This little Tribunal judge is so easy to fool? she thought. Not a shred of suspicion—just accepts my suggestion without a second thought.
Is this the future of the Tribunal? Hah, how laughable.
Ashley’s plan was to enjoy the movie theater’s delights with her, then slip the powdered sleeping pills into Amber’s drink while they were immersed. Once she dozed off, Ashley would go catch the Shriek Devil Crow.
She had calculated it perfectly: the maximum distance between two wristbands was just right from the theater to the sighting location.
In Ashley’s eyes, Amber was an enemy, not a friend—no psychological burden in deceiving her.
It was just a bit shocking to drug your date and go hunt a Shriek Devil Crow.
They walked along Fourth Avenue, passing several blocks, until they reached a brownish brick building at the street corner.
Steel bars and iron rods were welded into the words “Fleeting Time Theater,” the movie theater’s sign. Weathered by wind and sun, the paint had peeled off, revealing rusty brown patches, especially severe on the sun-facing west wall where the panels had cracked and warped.
Standing in front of the building, a sense of age seeped out from the corners and shadows, enveloping them in dim, yellowish time.
The window glass, at least, was wiped clean, reflecting the street scene.
Pushing open the door, a hallway formed between the soundproof doors of the main hall and the outer entrance.
Posters hung in the hallway, and the ticket booth was right next to the window selling popcorn and drinks.
The two lolis patiently waited until halftime ended, then went to buy popcorn and soda for the next showing.
“Only Pop Soda?” Ashley’s face showed a strange expression.
“Sorry, the other drinks sold out,” said the salesperson wearing a red velvet top hat.
Pop Soda was a drink that used the bloating property of carbonated beverages, with a glass bead pressing against a rubber ring at the bottle mouth.
Ashley’s heart sank. Damn, Pop Soda isn’t convenient for drugging.
Any slight touch, and that annoying bead would clink and clatter, alerting Amber. Plus, the bead stuck in the bottleneck would hinder the powder from dissolving evenly—any off taste, and she’d be exposed.
The consequences of exposure would be dire: instead of hunting the Shriek Devil Crow, she’d be seen as a creep drugging a loli.
A massive wave of frustration washed over Ashley.
Why, why only Pop Soda!
Damn it…
My invincible perfect plan foiled by a single glass bead!
No Shriek Devil Crow meant no cadaver, no cadaver meant no productivity tool, no productivity tool meant no money…
Damn it!
One bottle of Pop Soda has trapped me in endless despair!
Aaaah…
Amid Ashley’s frantic brainstorming—
Got it!
A sudden flash of inspiration struck her clever little mind, and she came up with a countermeasure.
…
In the dim, quiet projection hall, filled with the sweet scent of popcorn, the two lolis sat side by side in the back row.
The theater’s sofa chairs were too big for them; their pale little short legs couldn’t reach the floor and could only tap lightly with their tiptoes.
The blue-haired loli turned her head and stared straight at the black-haired loli beside her. Her thick lashes gave her big eyes a mysterious, elegant allure.
“Hey, did you know? There are four ways to drink Pop Soda.”
“Eh?” Amber scratched her head with a finger. “Never heard of that.”
“I like the fourth one—first, use your tongue to get the glass bead out, then drink it like regular soda. Like this…”
With that, Ashley carefully twisted open the bottle cap and steadily brought it to her lips.
Light from the screen filtered through gaps in the audience, shining on her glossy, tender lips, mingling with the bead’s curved gleam.
Amber’s mouth slowly gaped wider. There was something mesmerizingly magnetic about the scene, tickling a deep itch in her heart, like a cat clawing at it.
Then, an even more stimulating sight unfolded!
Ashley’s lips parted like a clam, revealing her pink, glistening little tongue. It squeezed into the bottle mouth, deftly hooking the slippery glass bead with soft precision and prying it out!
The saliva-wet bead rested in her palm as she said with a hint of smugness, “How about it… Pretty impressive, right?”
Amber’s pupils trembled, as if a new world had opened before her eyes.
“Hey, try yours.”
“I… I can’t…” Amber’s little face flushed red, her neck shrinking as she bit her lip hard, looking like a baked sweet potato.
“If you do it, I’ll praise you! Amazing, amazing, Amber’s so amazing!” Ashley clapped her small hands.
Pfft!
Amber couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Ashley’s such a fun person, she thought.
From childhood to now, she’d had a few short-lived playmates, but due to moves, busyness, personalities, and such, they’d all drifted apart.
Since entering the Tribunal, she’d had even less contact with peers.
At this moment, Ashley was like a meteor streaking across the night sky, radiating blazing light, boldly crashing into her world—how could her heart not skip a beat?
She mimicked the other, twisting open her bottle cap, shyly licking her lips, then lowered her head. Her little tongue trembled as it extended toward the bottle mouth.
Cold, tiny bubbles burst on her tongue tip, the lemon-sea salt flavor rushing into her nose, evoking the scent of midsummer.
Where’s the bead… the bead?
She strained to reach inside, her tongue tip brushing a hard object that clinked with every movement.
Ah, found it!
She tried pressing against the bead and lifting it up, but it was slipperier than expected. And with the bottleneck so deep, it limited her tongue’s leverage.
“Come on! You got this!”
Ashley smiled and cheered from the side, though inwardly she grumbled, Hurry up, you dumb loli! Get that damn bead out already! So I can drug you!
